Magnus Eriksson (1316-1374) was the king of Norway from 1319 to 1355 and of Sweden from 1319 to 1364. The early years of his reign were peaceful and ended a long period of instability in Sweden. But by the mid-1350’s, Magnus faced rebellion, invasion, and a plague among his people. He eventually lost both crowns.
Magnus was the son of Duke Erik Magnusson, who was the brother of King Birger Magnusson of Sweden. Magnus’s mother was Ingeborg, daughter of King Haakon V of Norway. Duke Erik and a third brother named Valdemar had rebelled repeatedly against Birger. In 1317, Birger had Erik and Valdemar thrown into prison, where they starved to death the following year.
In 1319, Haakon V died, and 3-year-old Magnus inherited the throne of Norway. Later that year, the Swedes overthrew Birger and made Magnus their king, too. Ingeborg and other regents (temporary rulers) led the kingdoms until the young king came of age in 1332.
Magnus went deeply into debt to buy control of what is now the southern part of Sweden from one of the powerful nobles who then controlled Denmark. The economies of Norway and Sweden could not handle such a large debt, and the king’s attempts to raise money led to rebellion in the 1350’s. Meanwhile, the plague had reached Scandinavia in 1349 and quickly killed thousands.
Magnus planned to divide his kingdoms between his two sons. The king assigned rule over part of Norway to his younger son, Haakon, in 1355. Magnus kept control of Sweden and named his older son, Erik, as heir to its throne. However, Erik died in 1359.
In the late 1350’s, in the midst of the rebellion by the Swedish nobles against Magnus, King Valdemar IV Atterdag of Denmark invaded Sweden. He soon retook the Danish lands purchased earlier by Magnus. In 1364, the Swedish nobles deposed Magnus and made his German nephew Albrekt of Mecklenberg king of Sweden. The nobles captured and imprisoned Magnus the following year. In 1371, the Swedes released Magnus, who went to Norway where his son still ruled as Haakon VI. Magnus drowned in a storm at sea on Dec. 1, 1374.
See also Margaret ; Valdemar IV Atterdag .
